Bob Schroeder
Robert 'Bob' Schroeder (born February 16, 1960) is an American businessman and Republican Party politician who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2010, where he represents the 39th Legislative District, having taken the seat of retiring incumbent John E. Rooney. Background Schroeder was born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey. He graduated from Westwood Regional High School in Washington Township in 1978; in 1982, he graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University. Schroeder founded a company called All Points International Distributors, which supports international relief efforts by the United States government, the United Nations, and NATO. Political Career Since 1991, Schroeder has held public office as a Washington Township Councilman. He has served as Council President twice and as Council Vice President three times. According to his legislature website, Schroeder remains active in the community, sitting on the boards of many civic organizations, and serving on the Consultative Board for Immaculate Heart Academy. He is also a Trustee for the Leo P. McGuire Public Safety and Education Foundation, a member of the New Jersey-New York Volunteer Fireman’s Association, New Jersey State Fire Chief’s Association, and the Bergen County 200 Club. He is past president of the Pascack Valley Police Vest Fund, and is on the Advisory Board of Directors for Lakeland Bank.http://www.njassemblyrepublicans.com/?works=schroeder. Accessed August 7, 2012. Schroeder spent $2.1 million on a largely self-financed campaign for Governor of New Jersey in 2005. He won the organization line in Ocean County and the endorsement of the Northeastern Republican Organization.Benson, Josh. "UP FRONT: WORTH NOTING; An Object Lesson For the Seven Dwarfs", The New York Times, March 27, 2005. Accessed November 4, 2009. "Now, after surprising victories by second-tier candidates like Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano at the Bergen County Republican Convention and Bob Schroeder, a businessman, in Ocean County, it is looking unlikely that any candidate will have a lock on establishment support by primary day on June 7." However, he finished fifth in a field of seven candidates in the Republican primary, receiving only 5.5% of the vote, well behind victor Doug Forrester who won the race with 36% of the vote.NJ Governor - R Primary 2005, OurCampaigns.com. Accessed November 4, 2009. In April 2005 Fairleigh Dickinson's PublicMind Poll found that Mr. Schroeder lacked statewide name recognition: 70% of voters reported that they hadn't heard of him.Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind Poll "Name Recognition" April 14, 2005 Of the voters who had heard of Schroeder, 23% responded that they had a "very favorable" or "somewhat favorable" opinion, while 16% reported that they had an "unfavorable" or "very unfavorable" opinion and 62% reported they were unsure. In 2009, Republican Assemblyman John E. Rooney decided not to run for a fifteenth term. Schroeder and former River Edge Councilman John Felice both sought the endorsement of the Northeastern Republican Organization, which would determine who won the party line in the primary. The NERO overwhelmingly supported Schroeder over Felice, thus giving him the party line in the primary, along with incumbent Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk. Felice did not run in the primary, thus securing the nomination for Schroeder. Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 39th District for the 2012-2013 Legislative Session are:Legislative Roster 2012-2013 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed August 7, 2012. *Senator Gerald Cardinale, and *Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi Criminal complaint On August 3, 2012, Schroeder was charged by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office with passing bad checks, a second-degree felony that carries a potential prison term of up to 10 years and a $150,000 fine. The charges are related to Schroeder allegedly writing nearly $400,000 in bad checks to two investors in his distribution company, All Points International Distributors LLC, which sells tents and prefabricated buildings primarily to the U.S. military. Furthermore, creditors have filed at least six federal lawsuits against All Points, according to court records, and there are a half-dozen lawsuits against the company pending in state courts. At least three creditors, including the Internal Revenue Service, obtained judgments against Schroeder or his business totaling more than $200,000, according to court records.Baxter, Christopher. "Assemblyman Robert Schroeder charged with passing bad checks", The Star-Ledger, August 3, 2012. Accessed August 7, 2012.Hayes, Melissa; Patberg, Zach; and Harris, Chris. "NJ assemblyman Robert Schroeder on writing bad checks: 'I made a mistake'", The Record (Bergen County), August 3, 2012. Accessed August 7, 2012.Hayes, Melissa; Harris, Chris; and Stile, Charles. "GOP lawmaker Robert Schroeder's political career shaped by money", The Record (Bergen County), August 12, 2012. Accessed August 12, 2012. As reported in The Record in response to the charges, Schroeder that "I made a mistake, I apologize," and that the checks that bounced had been written under the assumption that a payment from the United States Army had been wired into his account. Schroeder said that his business had faced a drop in sales in recent years, stating that "Business has been in decline during the Obama administration." References External links *Official website of Robert Schroeder *Assemblyman Robert Schroeder's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni Category:Businesspeople from New Jersey Category:New Jersey city council members Category:New Jersey Republicans Category:Members of the New Jersey General Assembly Category:People from Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey nl:Bob Schroeder